Betting The NBA Playoffs: It's Pretty, It's So Pretty
If you know Wesley Snipes as one of the over-the-hill action stars in The Expendables, you may be unaware of one of the great sports movies. I'm talking about White Men Can't Jump, featuring Snipes as Sidney Deane and Woody Harrelson as Billy Hoyle, a film that recently turned 30 years old.
With the NBA Playoffs getting underway this weekend, it seemed appropriate to pay homage to one of the most insightful and entertaining sports movies ever made while talking about the latest and greatest in the wide world of sports betting.
So, without further ado ….
Let The 'Second Season’ Begin!
It's impossible to match the intensity and excitement of the month-long NCAA Tournament. So, rather than try, the NBA postseason lasts twice as long. With the NBA Finals scheduled to conclude in mid-June, we have two months of the best of the best the league has to offer.
We also have an abundance of betting opportunities.
Last season's finalists, the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, are favored to win their respective conferences (Suns +110 at DraftKings, Bucks +225). Phoenix, last year's runner-up, is favored to win it all this time (+255, Bucks +475).
Check back to our website, GamingToday.com, throughout the playoffs for coverage of some of the many betting opportunities.
After their lackluster, dysfunctional season, I am surprised the Brooklyn Nets are getting as much respect as they are from the betting market. They enter the postseason with the third-shortest odds to win the title, but they will have to make history to do so.
Only one No. 7 seed has advanced past the first round since 2003, when first-round series went to best-of-seven.
Brooklyn opened at some sportsbooks as the favorite to win its first-round matchup with Boston, but oddsmakers quickly moved the line as money poured in on the 'underdog' Celtics.
For more on this series, check out my article, Nets vs. Celtics Odds: Mispriced Series Line, Game 1 Spread, Props.
"…If I'm thirsty. I don't want a glass of water; I want you to sympathize. I want you to say, ‘Gloria, I too know what it feels like to be thirsty. I, too, have had a dry mouth.’" – Gloria Clemente.
PGA Championship: It's Time To Pay Attention To Scottie Scheffler
Let’s highlight Kris Johnson’s early report on PGA Championship odds, even though the second major of the season is over a month away.
There are golf tournaments every weekend leading up to it. While the newsletter comes out too late for me to plug their articles, let me say this about the work our golf writers do:
Based on what I read in our Masters coverage last week, I nearly won a four-leg parlay with odds north of +5000. Three of the four legs were recommendations our writers made. The one that lost was one I added because I got greedy.
I mention this not to say that you should blindly follow their advice week in and week out. You should never blindly follow anyone's advice when betting on sports. But the work our guys produce is an excellent place to start your research if you are thinking of betting on golf.
With that in mind, it's not too late to jump on the Scottie Scheffler bandwagon. The Masters champ and No. 1 ranked golfer in the world is not favored to win the PGA Championship, but if he continues to dominate in the weeks ahead, his odds will get a lot shorter than they currently are (+1200 at FanDuel).
Spring Football Is Back!
Another attempt at spring football begins this weekend, as the reincarnated USFL kicks off its season in Birmingham. I covered the Week 1 betting lines this week, and I do not understand why Jeff Fisher is getting so much love.
Yes, he has the most NFL head coaching experience amongst the USFL's head coaches. But in his two decades in the NFL, his teams made the playoffs just six times. While he did guide the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl after the '99 season, he never won a title.
His teams were infamous for being mediocre, finishing with 8-8 or 7-9 records in 10 of the 20 complete seasons he coached.
Now, I like Shea Patterson, and because of him, I look forward to watching the Michigan Panthers play. But as for a team to back for the USFL championship, my pick is Tampa Bay. I like the potential of Todd Haley and Jordan Ta'amu
As for my dark horse pick, it’s the New Jersey Generals. Head coach Mike Riley’s experience in spring leagues could be invaluable.
"You can put a cat in an oven, but that don't make it a biscuit." –Sidney Deane
This Week On The Sports Betting Legal Landscape…
Some noteworthy news has come out of New York. There is reason to believe that additional mobile sportsbook operators could be coming to the Empire State. New York State Sen. Joe Addabbo told our Rebecca Hanchett that provisions in the proposed FY 2023 budget could open up the market.
Read Rebecca’s report here.
In other industry news, BetMGM announced the signing of AJ Andrews, a softball phenom and MLB Network personality.
“Putting a spotlight on a strong woman like Andrews has the potential to encourage women who have followed her and looked up to her to get involved in betting,” Gaming Today’s Mariah Janos wrote. "… The addition of Andrews can help to eliminate the stigma that sports and sports betting is only for the male population."
Sportsbook Promotions: April 14, 2022
Many sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses to entice new users to sign up with them. You can read more about them here. In this space, I like to talk about promotions sportsbooks offer to current customers.
BetRivers: Saturday MLB Same Game Parlay Bet And Get! Place a $25+ same game parlay on any MLB game and get a $10 free bet.
BetRivers: NBA Playoffs Bet and Get! Make a $25+ wager on any team to win the NBA Championship and receive a $5 Free Bet for every series they win.
BetMGM: NBA Playoffs. Bet on a team to win the Finals and get a risk-free token for every round your team advances.
Caesars: Long-Ball Same-Game-Parlay Bonus. Place an MLB SGP, and if you win, get a $50 free bet.
As with any sportsbook promotion, remember that terms and conditions will apply. Read the fine print and know what they are before you bet.
"Billy, I have four words for you: Listen to the Woman." – Sidney Deane
Coming Up On Our Sports Betting Calendar…
While the college football season is months away, you can already find point spreads for some of the early games.
MLB will be on this list for the next few months. We'll talk more about division titles, the World Series, and the various awards along the way.
MMA Events. Bellator 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche (April 22), UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade (April 23), Bellator 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2 (April 23), UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje (May 7)
The NFL Draft (April 28-30)
Boxing. Tyson Fury vs. Dylan White on April 23
Beginner's Beat: Research Available Markets
I'm a football guy. So, when I started betting, I figured I could easily pick a few winners and make a few bucks — but I didn’t. Looking back now, I do not think it was because my knowledge of the game was lacking. I just chose the wrong markets
Before I go any further, let me say this: buying picks from an 'expert' does not qualify as doing homework. Those guys get it wrong, too. You are better off gathering your information about the game/player/team(s)/sport and making your own informed decision about what bets to place.
For many bettors, the outcome of games is the way to go. But after doing some research on what markets are available for football, I discovered that was not the case for me. Once I looked into what was available, I started finding prop bets at various sportsbooks that were right up my alley.
I like the potential payout (plus-money). Not only that, but I felt like I could make a reasonably informed decision about the prop in question. Did I win them all?
Of course not. But I've won more than I've lost…
That concludes the latest edition of the Gaming Today Playbook. I hope you enjoyed reading it and found it informative. If you have any questions or want to request a topic to get covered in a future newsletter, you can reach me via email at travis.pulver@catenamedia.com or via Twitter at @FatManWriting.
I'll leave you with some wise but confusing words from Billy Hoyle's girlfriend, Gloria:
"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs."
Think about it.
Till Next Time,
Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer